Los Angeles history

Grocery store of tomorrow, January 4, 1959

January 4, 2009 | 6:00
am

Hey, look! It's the 7-Eleven from "The Jetsons!" Actually, it's not. Instead, The Times published an artist's concept of grocery shopping in the years ahead. The "futurism" of the past always fascinates me. Notice that cars will still have tail fins.

In the 1950s, Westerns such as "Gunsmoke," above, filled the airwaves and men like Bob Bowman, below, brought quick-draw contests to real life.

You won't see stories about African Americans in The Times or the other mainstream newspapers of the 1950s, but you can find them and other minorities in the classified ads.

A typical San Fernando Valley page: One feature with lots of art, surrounded by government stories.

Football coach Earl "Curly" Lambeau says the split-T offense is dead. He also thinks college ball should put the goal posts back on the goal line!